pickFun, quirky fantasy stories with some deep and unique world building
42 likes
pickFun, quirky fantasy stories with some deep and unique world building
People change
But you know some people never do
You know, when people change
They gain a peace, but they lose one too
...
As it breaks, the summer will wake
But the winter will wash what is left, of the taste
As it breaks, the summer will warm
But the winter will crave what has gone
-Future Islands “Seasons (Waiting on You)“
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upPl9mZW_zw
Do you welcome the peace gained in change, or mourn the peace that is lost?
pickI've read a couple Criminal stories here and there, but this will be my first proper read through, in anticipation of the upcoming TV series. Leo has a reputation of being an expert thief, but the first to hit the bricks at a sign of trouble. When someone from his past reemerges, he takes a job he knows he shouldn't, and, predictably, it doesn't go well, but modern master Brubaker keeps things interesting.
panFinished this Metal Earth AT-ST model while listening to the Batman Returns novelization. Pretty disappointing. The narrator was all over the place with his voices, Max Shreck being particularly rough. There was a lot more misogyny from the Penguin in this adaptation, which was weird. Stick with the movie.
pickSomehow, O'Meara is able to condense a global history of alcohol into an easy-to-read book infused with plenty of her own personality. She highlights some amazing women and tells some mind-boggling stories. She also avoids the woe-is-woman tone by focusing on the empowering nature of the histories.
pickA few of the movies discussed in this book that features photos and interviews about the world of Hollywood effects. I devoured this; I love reading about behind-the-scenes of movies and TV, and Face Off is one of the few reality competition shows I've ever enjoyed. This profession requires so much skill and love, and, if done right, the audience won't even think about all the work involved in creating convincing characters.
It is ironic that I would come across this passage in my book today.
Trans history will not be erased. This isn't the 1800s; you can't just burn a document and pretend it never existed. Trump's administration cannot delete history and it will not define our culture. #ThisIsNotAmerica
#valloweenswap @bookish_wookish
Thank you for a most excellent swap! The book sleeve is perfect. I'm excited for the tagged book, and to return to Chuck Palahniuk after quite a few years.
Artist have come together to "illustrate" how demented and destructive Project 2025 could be.
"Our two founding documents are short because it doesn‘t take a lot of words to say 'You matter, and you have a voice.'
Project 2025 is longer because it‘s a detailed plan to shut you up, and shut you out.
Don‘t let it do either."
https://stopproject2025comic.org/
so-soA collection of Obi-Wan stories as he reflects on his life while in exile on Tatooine. There were originally spersed throughout the original run of Marvel Star Wars comics. They are loosely connected and overall okay. Art is average, and examinations of Obi-Wan have been done better elsewhere.
#bookspin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
4. Hell Followed With Us and 10. Recursion are my picks this month.
So much music news lately: the Grammys, Fire Aid concert, Super Bowl halftime. But I'm going old-school. On Alan Alda's podcast, Clear and Vivid, he recently interviewed neuroscientist and musician Daniel Levitin, and they spoke about using music to treat Parkinson's disease, which Alan suffers from. Scientist have been using songs with strong beats, like I've Got Rhythm, to help patients relearn how to walk!
#tuesdaytunes
I don't follow football, and I have lots of issues with the NFL as an organization, but I did watch a bit of the Superbowl to support my hometown. I also took down Christmas lights yesterday and put up these year-round LED light strips, so I set them green for the night 😁 🦅 #gridirongab
pickDamn, Seanan, the ending on this one was just brutal! Brilliant, vivid world building, as always. Follows the resent trend of dropping major hints about the doors 🚪 but still not giving any details. What is your game here, Seanan?!
Quite fitting that as I finished reading The Shining, the band Murder By Death announced that they would be more or less ending the band. My younger brother introduced me to them, and we saw several shows together in Philly. The band held an annual show at the Stanley Hotel, the filming location for the Overlook Hotel in the Shining movie. They never broke big, but they made reliably solid records of gothic Americana.
https://youtu.be/r0uPjg63XmQ
pickKing famously disliked the film adaptation of The Shining. Having seen the movie several times, I guess I can see his dissatisfaction, but I think Kubrick did a good job. The book is different enough that I got well caught up in the suspense. Very good #constantreader #losersclub
pickBruce goes on a spirit quest to commune with his parents while a daughter of Ra's Al Ghul seeks revenge on her father. Overall, just okay, but there is some great art and some interesting scenes that elevate it to a pick.
Finally bought a set from Cliche tea, a local Alaskan business that offers teas themed on literary cliches. I am trying Magical Powers today, an herbal lemon tea with a gorgeous blue color from butterfly pea. I'm excited to dig into the rest of this set. There is also a romance set, archetypes, and one for writers ☺️
@WildAlaskaBibliophile and I were watching a YouTube video about forgotten 90s hits. This song came on, and I immediately flashed back to Cornwell's Roller Rink in Bensalem, PA! Do you have a favorite roller rink jam?
https://open.spotify.com/track/3zg4stPJlbNSBPA8HJzLZA?si=dnKNc-kISZuczn-SnDDDBg
Another classic 😉 https://youtu.be/D53M1vVF2N4
#Tuesdaytunes
My #valloweenswap gifts have shipped. Books are shipping direct from a local bookstore. Hope the folks at customs are kind to this box.
pickI don't read much manga, but I have read a few queer slice-of-life series that I've enjoyed. Chika discovered the term asexual for herself after a few unfortunate encounters in her first week at university. What follows are a series of wonderfully frank conversations between new friends.
Tor Books and Veronica Roth just announced this follow-up to one of my favorite books from 2024 (tagged)! While the first book was a complete and satisfying story, I am excited to return to such a rich, unique world.
Good, busy weekend, but started getting a scratchy throat yesterday. And this today. It's going to be a long week (and the next 208 weeks as well)...
TRANSA was a compilation album from last year highlighting the work of trans and non-binary artists. My second favorite song on it is a cover of "I Would Die 4 U" with Lauren Auder and Wendy & Lisa, which led me to a deep dive of W&L.
Members of Prince's band The Revolution, they have been recording since 1986 and also write for TV and film, including the Emmy-winning theme of Nurse Jackie.
https://youtu.be/8UWqdVwlimA
#Tuesdaytunes
pickRoddy McDowall provides excellent narration of the novelization of the 1989 Batman movie. Fans of the animated series will know him as the voice of the Mad Hatter, and you can just tell he is having a blast when he gets to cut loose with the Joker scenes! The novelization is fine; a few scenes omitted, not much added. Definitely worth a listen in audio, though.
pickA friend bought me this set years ago. Titled "Lost Buildings" (not in database) it contains a DVD of a live recording of This American Life discussing the architect Louis Sullivan and the demolition of his buildings in Chicago. The book is a companion to the video, detailed photographic records of the buildings discussed. I don't have many thoughts on architecture, but this project makes it easy to see what was so special about these buildings.
From Nat Geo's Instagram stories. Immediately made me think of Monk and Robot; IYKYK 😁
I bought a bar calendar for 2025 from Bar World Sanctuary, and they also sent their annual report, which is a transparent breakdown of their finances, but also an index of their rescues for the year. So many lovely sky puppies!
Repost from @wildalaskabibliophile
Roll Call: Who's interested in an International Book Club? 📚✨ We would focus on translated literary works. #InternationalBC
Original post: https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2827182
Valloweeners, matches have been sent! Please check your email and confirm receipt.
🦇💀🖤 #ValloweenSwap @wildalaskabibliophile
We are coming up on one year of Tuesday Tunes! Whether you like to listen to music while reading or just love talking music, share new music discoveries or all-time favorites with the hashtag #tuesdaytunes
The Hold Steady are an indie rock band with punk vibes and lyrical storytelling. I really get a kick out of their song "Sequestered in Memphis"
https://youtu.be/mjDI1oouS8w
pickClassic!
pickMy first read of 2025! I love the Powell/Loy movies, and I think the first film does an excellent job at adapting this book. If you are not familiar with the title, this is a well done detective novel with fun, sassy characters and an intriguing mystery. But if you've seen the movie, it doesn't really offer much additional story or insight. Still, since it has been a while since I've watched the movie, I had a blast revisiting Nick and Nora.
Join us for #ValloweenSwap. Sign-ups close today!
Do your expressions of love tend towards the darker side? Do you like unrequited or tortured love? Maybe romance is outside of your spectrum? Or perhaps you detest the commercialization of signs of affection?
Whatever your reason, sign up at this link: https://forms.gle/3yQawxV53ZvjZVk46
We had a visitor to our backyard recently. A herd of caribou has been coming in and out of our neighborhood over the past couple weeks. I caught sight of this guy while home sick on Thursday.
panYou would think the introduction of Spawn, Savage Dragon, and Blacula would be somewhat interesting, but this volume feels like blatant corporate crossover slop with hardly any impact on the larger story. With six months between issue 34 and 35, and no word on the future of the series, it is a disappointing way to leave fans hanging. I'd like to see some kind of conclusion, but I'm not in a hurry to continue this series.
pickA thrilling expansion of Clark's alternative Cairo. The third novella/short story in a trilogy of prequels to A Master of Djinn, we are introduced to Agent Nasr, a no-nonsense agent reluctantly paired with a newbie. Previous stories explored how the introduction of djinn and "angels" affected the city, but a new entity haunts this entry.
#bookspin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
Bookspin pull is The Shining for #losersclub
Double bookspin is Girly Drinks, contributing to my effort to catch up on gifts from Littens ( @wanderinglynn )
Join us for #ValloweenSwap. Sign-up close Monday, January 6!
Do your expressions of love tend towards the darker side? Do you like unrequited or tortured love? Maybe romance is outside of your spectrum? Or perhaps you detest the commercialization of signs of affection?
Whatever your reason, sign up at this link: https://forms.gle/3yQawxV53ZvjZVk46
My 12 favorite reads of 2024. In no particular order:
Rise of the Red Blade - Delilah S Dawson
Bloom - Delilah S Dawson
Heartstopper - Alice Oseman
All the Names - Jose Saramago
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy - Becky Chambers
Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann
The Talk - Darrin Bell
The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey
All the Sinners Bleed - S.A. Cosby
The Turnaway Study - Diana Greene Foster
The Trees - Percival Everett
When Among Crows - Veronica Roth
#two4tuesday @TheSpineView
1. I'm going to focus mostly on #bookspinbingo
2. Tagged is the only book I've preordered. I'm also looking forward to the new Wayward Children entry and Nnedi Okorafor's Death of the Author.
pickNot only my favorite cover of the books I've read this year, but one of my top reads! Wonderfully sweet until it's not 😈 It's hard to know how much to talk about; the tag line lets you know it is going to turn dark, but the romance really is nicely portrayed, and the main character's internal thoughts are is so well described. At just under 200 pages, it could absolutely be a one-sitting read. I did three, but it was hard to put down in between.
#tuesdaytunes 2024 Review
My favorite albums, in no particular order:
Amos Lee - Transmissions
Lake Street Dive - Good Together
Jon Batiste - Beethoven Blues
Transa - Compilation Album
Orville Peck - Stampede
Madi Diaz - Weird Faith
Kacey Musgrave - Deeper Well
Jack White - No Name
Dawes - oh brother
